


Daisies Sleep in Silence

by KandiSheek



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Graphic Description of Corpses, Hanahaki Disease, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Nightmares, Sick Tony Stark, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Vomiting, Witch Curses, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:40:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26141260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KandiSheek/pseuds/KandiSheek
Summary: Tony got used to not breathing after Afghanistan. He remembered the agony of it, the black spots in his vision as the world went out of focus, cut through with angry red spikes of pain. He never thought he'd have to do it again.But if it was to keep Steve safe, well. There was little Tony wouldn't do. Even if it involved coughing up flowers.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 73
Kudos: 433





	Daisies Sleep in Silence

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm like 27749 years too late but I still wanted to write something for Stony week. One of the first prompts was Hanahaki so that's what I went with. I hope you enjoy it!

_Your love is beautiful,_ Tony heard through the darkness of his mind, catching a glimpse of slitted eyes and a smile too wide to fit a human face. _Let me have it._

He thought he screamed when a searing pain tore his chest open but he couldn't hear it over the ringing in his ears. His ribs were expanding, piercing through his skin until he was turned inside out, his heart and lungs laid bare, and something was reaching inside –

“Tony!”

Tony gasped, jerking upright so abruptly that Clint took a step back, holding up his hands.

“Whoa, dude. You okay? That looked pretty bad.”

“What?” Tony squinted through the damage warnings JARVIS was throwing up on the HUD at a huge hole in the ceiling. “Fuck. What happened?”

“You crashed,” Clint said curtly. “Never mind that, we have to move. Can you stand?”

Tony struggled to his feet with Clint's help, both of them stumbling when an explosion rocked the building. “Fuck, we gotta –“

“Yeah.” Clint pushed him towards the door. “Move it, tincan.”

Tony snapped the faceplate down, gripping Clint around the waist and taking off through the window, glass shattering around them. They barely made it outside before the whole building collapsed under the pressure of a giant plant creature crawling over it, swinging its vines that were as thick as tree trunks. The resulting wind almost knocked Tony off balance but he sped away before they could get hit.

“Ironman, status!”

“We lost sight of the witch,” Clint answered for him and Tony was struck with the memory of a sharp set of claws digging into his guts –

_Feed it to me._

Tony's vision swam as bile rose in his throat, his lungs tightening and – fuck, he couldn't breathe –

“What the – shit!” Clint yelped and Tony blinked his eyes open to find them swerving right into a wall. He cursed and pulled them back upright, grimacing when the armor scraped along the side of the building before they got back into the air. Clint punched him in the shoulder.

“What the fuck was that?”

“Sorry,” Tony said as he landed on a nearby roof, setting Clint down on his feet. “Spaced out for a second. I'm fine.”

“You sure you should be flying?” Clint asked dubiously and Tony flipped him off before he fired up his thrusters and made his way into the thick of the battle. “Don't come crying to me later!”

“Ironman, if you're hiding injuries –“

“Wouldn't dream of it,” Tony said, breaking off into a cough on the last word. His throat was uncomfortably dry. “What's the plan, Cap?”

It said a lot about how desperate their situation was that Steve didn't call him on his bluff. “Find the witch,” he shouted over the comms and Tony saluted, turning to scan the battlefield.

There were four more giant tree monsters crawling through the streets, one of which was currently scaling the Empire State Building. Tony could see the Hulk wrestling with another one down below while Thor was raining thunder on the biggest of the bunch. The witch was nowhere to be seen.

“She can't have gone far.” He dodged a huge vine-like arm swinging at him as he looped around the creature closest to him, firing his repulsors into its fleshy body. It didn't seem to do any damage. “J, what do we got?”

“Heat signature to your left, Sir. It matches my earlier readings of the witch.”

“Good boy.”

Tony followed the map JARVIS helpfully displayed for him, leading him into the ground floor of the national bank. The hall was empty as far as he could see but something told him it wasn't, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up –

“So beautiful.”

Tony whipped around and stumbled backwards but the witch was already on him, her face twisted into an ugly smile as she grabbed his wrists and bowled him over, pinning him to the ground. Vines sprouted from the floor to hold him down and Tony could feel a sudden pressure in his chest –

“Cap –“ was all he got out before the witch wrenched away his faceplate and grabbed his neck tightly enough to choke him.

“Ironman!” he heard Steve shout over the comms but he couldn't respond, staring up into a too wide smile that seemed almost familiar –

“He doesn't love you back,” she said and Tony froze, his head spinning because _what_ – “And it's eating you alive. If you give your love to me I can stop your pain.”

“We're coming, Tony!” He heard Clint shout but the noise around him was getting drowned out by his own heartbeat in his ears as she tightened her grip, cutting off his air. The pressure behind his eyes was immense but it had nothing on the pain in his chest when her fingers dug into him with sharp nails until she pierced skin, went _inside_ –

“You'll bloom for it,” she growled right in his face. “Your love for him. And when you do I'll eat it.”

Tony squeezed his eyes shut on instinct, trying to fire his repulsors, but something was keeping his body from responding, as if his limbs were filled with lead. His lungs were burning but it didn't feel like choking, more like a knife twisting into one specific spot just under his ribs and _carving_ –

Tony gasped in surprise rather than pain when the witch was suddenly ripped off him with an inhuman screech. He looked up just in time to see the Hulk raise his fist but when he tried to smash her he only cracked the floor underneath. She was gone.

“Thanks, big guy,” Tony wheezed as he struggled to his feet, slamming his faceplate back down. His chest had stopped hurting as soon as she stopped touching him but the phantom pain still made his hands shake. “Fuck, that was scary.”

“Ironman, status!”

“Fucking peachy,” he coughed as he stumbled outside. “I lost her.”

“Sir, you're showing signs of a mild concussion, I must advise you to –“

“JARVIS, I need eyes on the witch, _now_ ,” Tony barked into his private comms as he took off and after a moment's hesitation JARVIS pulled up a tracker, moving steadily away from the fight at an alarming rate. “Cap, I see her, she's –“

“Sir!”

Tony looked up right as a swinging vine came down on his back with enough force that he heard something crack. He gagged at the pain, his vision spotted black as he tried to regain his balance –

But something slammed into him, toppling him sideways only for another hit to smash him straight into the ground. He heaved a breath, his ribs protesting the motion, and another vine came down on him so hard that he swore the armor caved inwards.

_Give him to me._

Tony screamed at the tearing pain in his shoulder as the vines lifted him up, wrapping around his torso so tightly that he struggled to breathe –

But he was dropped to the ground, unable to hold back a pathetic whimper as the impact jostled his body. When he opened his eyes again green slime was obstructing his vision of the ground in front of him where the plant's severed limb was oozing sludge onto the floor.

“Gross,” he might've mumbled but his head was whirring too much to be sure. He thought he saw a flash of red before he finally succumbed to the darkness creeping into his mind.

_You'll bloom for him. And I'll eat it._

“You shouldn't be down here already.”

Tony looked up to find Steve standing in the doorway to his workshop, his arms crossed over his chest and a spectacular frown on his face. He wiped the grease off his brow, giving him a small smile.

“I told you, I feel fine.”

Steve's frown deepened. “You have three fractures and a concussion.”

“Not anymore.” Tony spread his arms to demonstrate, spinning on the spot without so much as a wobble. “See? I'm all clear, the doctor said so.”

“Which is enough to make me believe that you're _not_ fine,” Steve said as he came into the workshop, patting DUM-E on the claw when he passed him. “You shouldn't have healed that fast.”

“Yeah, well,” Tony said absently, twirling the wrench between his fingers. “JARVIS already put me through every test under the sun. I'm the same as ever. Better even.”

Steve didn't look convinced. “The witch might have done something. You should let Strange –“

Tony snorted. “Yeah, that's not gonna happen.”

“Tony –“

“No.” Tony glared at Steve. “JARVIS says there's nothing wrong with me. And if she did something I think I'd remember it, wouldn't I?”

Steve stared him down for a long moment before he sighed, shaking his head. “Fine. I can't force you.”

“Thank you,” Tony said and Steve smiled at him in that way Tony liked to think was almost fond –

Tony coughed.

“Just take care of yourself, okay?” Steve said, putting a hand on Tony's shoulder. “Even if you – Tony? Hey!”

Tony bent over under the force of his coughing fit, covering his mouth with both hands. His throat burned like fire, his stomach muscles cramping as he fought down the urge to gag –

“Tony!”

Steve thumped him on the back but that only made it worse so Tony shoved him away –

And the fit abruptly ended. Tony took a wheezing breath, clutching his chest as he tried to suck air back into his lungs. It took a few seconds before he managed to lift his head enough to look at Steve, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Fuck. Sorry, I don't know what –”

“What?” Steve breathed, his eyes fixed on something on the floor. He bent down and picked it up, rolling it between his fingers before he held out his palm to Tony.

Tony frowned. “JARVIS?”

“Clematis armandii,” JARVIS said as Tony picked up the tiny bud. “An apple blossom. Although underdeveloped.”

“Where the hell did that –“

“You hacked it up.” Tony's head whipped around to Steve who looked as uncomfortable as he looked worried. “I saw it. Fell out of your palm.”

Tony scoffed. “That's impossib–“

“Sir, I believe you should update your full body scan. There seems to be a foreign object lodged in your chest.”

Steve's eyes widened as Tony glared at JARVIS' main camera. “We've been over this. There's nothing wrong with – hey!“

“Where do you want him, JARVIS?” Steve asked, grabbing Tony's shoulders to guide him further into the workshop.

“Right there is perfect. Thank you, Captain.”

“This is nonconsensual treatment,” Tony snapped, trying to wiggle out of Steve's grip, but Steve held him perfectly still without any effort. “I could sue you both!”

“Scan complete,” JARVIS said and brought up the results on the closest screen, showing Tony's sternum with the same nicks and scars as eve– huh.

“Zoom in on that?” Tony stepped closer to the screen as Steve followed him like a shadow to look over his shoulder. There was a tiny spot right between his lungs that didn't belong there and when JARVIS enhanced the image he could see even tinier tendrils that seemed to be growing out of it. Tony put a hand over his chest on reflex. “Is that –“

“It appears to be organic tissue,” JARVIS said and Tony's chest pulled tight – “Although not something that is usually found in the human body.” Not cancer then. Thank fuck.

“What does that mean?” Steve asked, his voice tight.

“I believe it is a plant.”

Tony blinked. “A what?”

“A seed, to be more specific. It matches the bud you dislodged from your throat earlier.”

He could feel Steve's eyes boring into the side of his face but somehow his inner calm wouldn't turn into the panic he probably should be feeling at a moment like this. “So did I eat the wrong apple or what?”

“It does not appear to be something you digested, Sir. The seed is lodged inside your tissue in a way that suggests it having been planted there although there is no sign of an incision.”

Tony hummed. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Steve asked explosively. “Tony, there's something _growing_ inside you and we don't know how it got there!”

“Yes, I can see that,” Tony said and Steve threw his arms up.

“Then why aren't you –“

“I don't really care what it is.” Steve's mouth snapped shut as he stared at Tony in utter disbelief. Tony cocked his head. “That's weird, isn't it?”

Steve kept looking at him for a second before he turned on his heel and marched out the door. “I'm going to call Strange. Don't move.”

“Wasn't going to.”

“JARVIS!” Steve called out over his shoulder, looking up at the ceiling. “Don't let him leave the workshop.”

“Understood.”

“I don't need a baby sitter,” Tony shouted after him but Steve ignored him, taking the steps four at a time. Tony sighed. “This is going to suck, isn't it?”

JARVIS' silent judgment was as radiant as his concern. “I imagine so, Sir.”

“It's a defense mechanism.” Strange floated down towards them from the ceiling of his library, leafing through the book he'd just plucked from the top shelf. “Quite common in witchcraft. The victim forgets they were ever attacked but unconsciously protect the spell when threatened. It's very effective.”

“Huh.” Tony drummed his fingers on the leather chair he was sitting in as Steve stood at his shoulder, practically in parade rest. He rolled his eyes. “Okay, so I got whammied. Now what?”

“Now you wait,” Strange said with a dismissive look in Tony's general direction. “I'm going to find out what kind of spell it is and try to get rid of it. And you, I hope.”

“Charming,” Tony said but Strange didn't bother responding as he kept flipping through his book until he suddenly stopped, staring intently at a page. “Found something?”

Strange turned towards him and the look in his eyes made Tony sit up straight in his seat. That didn't look like good news. “Captain Rogers, if you could step outside for a moment, I'd like to speak to Mr Stark alone.”

“What?” Steve asked. “Why? Is it bad?”

“Not necessarily.” Strange closed the book with a flick of his wrist. “But in the interest of patient confidentiality I have to ask you to leave. Please.”

Steve cast one last worried look at Tony before he nodded and went outside, closing the door behind him. Strange turned to Tony with a frown, his cloak fluttering behind him even though there was no wind. That thing was seriously unnerving.

“There really is no delicate way to say this so I hope you'll forgive me for being intrusive.”

“Intrusive is my middle name,” Tony quipped and Strange looked like he desperately wanted to roll his eyes but reined it in.

“To put it simply, a flower is growing in your lungs and if nothing is done it's going to kill you.”

Tony blinked. “That should probably scare me, shouldn't it?”

Strange sighed. “An early effect of the curse. Don't worry, it's going to start bothering you soon enough.”

“Huzzah,” Tony said drily but Strange ignored him.

“The woman who cursed you was a hudra, a forest witch. They usually feed on the flesh of their victims but sometimes they cultivate them for their garden.”

Tony hummed. “I feel like a prized pumpkin already.”

“She planted a seed in you,” Strange continued, nonplussed. “Once it grows into a full plant she will rip it from your body and most likely eat it. The process will kill you.”

Tony really wanted to be panicked by that but the news didn't disturb the weird calm he felt in regards to his situation. He fucking hated magic. “So what can I do?”

“A spell like this is always tied into strong emotion,” Strange said, looking at Tony with a shifty air about him that rang alarm bells in Tony's brain. “Something to feed the seed. Witches tend to choose their victims based on how strong those emotions are.”

“What emotions?” Tony asked warily, something tickling the back of his mind, a voice that seemed vaguely familiar –

_So beautiful. Let me have it._

“Do you know what breaks a witch's spell, Mr Stark?”

Tony scoffed. “Do I look like I read fairy tales?”

“You're in love, aren't you?” Strange asked bluntly and Tony froze. “But it's not a love returned. If it was, the spell wouldn't have affected you like this.”

“What are you –“ Tony choked out but Strange held up a hand.

“I don't care who it is and I don't plan to find out. But if you don't confess and make them love you in return you will die within the month.”

Tony sputtered. “I –“

“The spell feeds on unrequited love,” Strange continued, completely ignoring Tony's mental breakdown. “The plant itself can be surgically removed but your memories of the person you love are tied into the seed now. If you cut it out of your body your memory will go with it.”

_Dimples framing a smile on annoyingly perfect teeth. Nimble hands drawing shapes on paper with sure strokes. The sound of his name in a voice that he could feel in his bones –_

“No,” Tony gasped and Strange nodded knowingly.

“I figured you'd say that.” He waved his hand towards the door. “You should tell him before it's too late. The coughing is only the first stage of the spell. As time goes on it will start to restrict your breathing to the point where–“

“ _Him?”_ Tony asked incredulously and Strange's eyes narrowed before he gave him a humorless smile.

“You aren't exactly subtle.”

Tony had many things to say to that but Strange opened the door before he could formulate a single one. Steve was pacing out in the hallway, coming to an abrupt stop as soon as he caught sight of them.

“Did you find anything?” Steve asked, his brow furrowed with worry, and Tony felt his chest clench, a tickle in his throat the only warning before –

“Tony!”

He doubled over, coughing into his hand as his throat contracted, raw and sensitive. By the time he was done there were two perfectly round buds in his hand, glistening with saliva. Tony looked up at Strange who gave him an almost concerned look as Steve huffed.

“You didn't stop it?” he asked accusingly, glaring at Strange who leveled him with an unimpressed look.

“I told Mr Stark everything he needs to know. The rest is in his hands.”

Steve turned to him and the hope in his eyes made Tony's stomach clench. “So you _can_ stop it?”

Tony cleared his throat when he felt another tickle at the base of his windpipe. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Steve repeated dubiously. “And what happens if you don't?”

Tony shook his head, patting Steve on the shoulder as he walked past him. “We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Doc,” he said, nodding his head at Strange who nodded back with an unreadable expression.

“Think about what I said,” Strange called after him and Tony waved him off, walking towards the portal door with Steve hot on his heels.

“So what's the plan?” Steve asked. “Anything I can help with?”

Tony looked at him, the earnest desire to be useful in his eyes, and felt his tongue tie itself into knots.

“No, I got this one. Thanks though.”

Steve smiled, clapping him on the shoulder, and Tony had to bite down on another cough. “Alright. Tell me how it goes, okay?”

“Sure,” Tony croaked, leading them through the portal. He could feel it so clearly now, the way the seed moved inside him whenever his thoughts turned to Steve, when the other man showed concern or kindness or basically anything Tony could misconstrue as – well.

He shook his head. It wasn't as if he hadn't known that the pathetic crush he had on Steve wouldn't go anywhere but to have it confirmed like this still hurt more than he'd expected. Becoming friends with Steve had already been hard enough, anything more was reaching for the impossible. And now he was going to die for it. Fucking typical.

“I'll see you at dinner?” Steve asked as they stepped into the tower lobby and Tony smiled around the lump in his throat, nodding at him.

“Yeah. Later.”

Tony stared at Steve's back as he walked away, his throat tickling with a cough he refused to let out. Steve would never love him back, that much was clear. The least Tony could do was keep this to himself, spare Steve the guilt of being unable to help him. He'd rather die than cause Steve unnecessary pain like that.

He'd just have to deal with the consequences.

“Not that one, you useless rust bucket, just – here.”

Tony grabbed the wrench and waved it in DUM-E's direction, ignoring his dejected beep. “No, I don't care what you thought, three strikes and you're out. Go charge.”

DUM-E hung his claw and rolled over to his charging station with a series of desolate beeps. Tony sighed.

“Goddammit. Just – fetch me the copper wire. And no whining.”

DUM-E perked up immediately, practically racing over to the storage rack on the far end of the workshop. The little faker always did this and Tony folded like a flower every time. Tony shook his head, going back to the metal plating he was shaping when a hand came down on his shoulder.

“Hey.”

He startled so badly that Clint had to step back to avoid getting hit with a wrench, holding up his hands. “Whoa there! Easy, tincan.”

“Jesus Christ,” Tony said, clutching a hand to his chest. “I have a heart condition, you prick.”

“I said your name three times but you didn't answer.” Clint took one look at Tony's work, shook his head and grabbed him by the arm.

“What the –” Tony dug his heels in but out of the suit Clint was annoyingly stronger than him, easily dragging him out of the workshop and into the elevator. “I'm not done, asshole!”

“Yes, you are.” Clint gave him an annoyed look. “I can't believe they made me do genius-sitting duty but you're coming up and eating pizza with me right now.”

“And if I don't?” Tony asked, waiting for the moment Clint opened his mouth before he twisted, bending to swipe Clint't leg –

And found himself in a choke hold, gasping for air as Clint easily subdued him.

“I don't know,” Clint said lazily, not even breathing hard, the prick. “Wanna find out?”

“Alright, alright!” Tony tapped his wrist and Clint let him go so Tony could fix his clothes and throw him a glare. “I'll eat your stupid pizza.”

“Cool.” Clint pressed the button for the common floor, waving Tony inside with a flourish. Tony went with all the grace and dignity of someone being abducted in his own house, internally cursing himself for not having the armor on standby.

To his surprise the rest of the team was already in the kitchen, sitting around the table that was laden with take out food. He even spotted some of his favorites in there.

“You didn't have to wait for me,” he said a little uncomfortably but Steve gave him a sunny smile.

“It's Thursday. We're watching Matrix after this so we thought you might like to join us.”

Tony was about to decline when he suddenly realized that he couldn't remember the last time he'd joined movie night. He'd been invited every time but after a while saying no had become almost a reflex. That would probably explain the guilt he felt just seeing them sitting there, looking at him expectantly.

Maybe those upgrades could wait a few more hours.

“Sure. Which Matrix are we watching?”

“The only good one,” Clint said, grabbing a handful of fries, and Tony gasped dramatically.

“You did not just say that!”

“Fight me, grandpa.”

“Children, please,” Natasha said with a serene smile, tapping her fingers on the table. “Settle down.”

“You're not my real mom,” Tony said as he sat in the only free seat, right next to Steve, and held in a cough at the proximity. Ignoring the itch had in fact not made it go away but as long as he didn't think about it, it wasn't so bad.

Steve's shoulder kept brushing against his throughout the meal and it made his stomach clench with both giddiness and nausea every time. More than once he had to cough discreetly into the crook of his elbow, hiding his reddening face from the rest of the group. He hadn't coughed up any more buds since that day at the sanctum sanctorum so he was fairly optimistic that this whole thing would blow over on its own.

He'd dealt with Steve not loving him for years now. He had it under control.

“Should we make popcorn?” Bruce asked as he put his plate in the sink while Steve was doing the dishes by hand. Tony had showed him at least five times how to work the dishwasher but Steve still refused to use it. He hated that he found it adorable rather than dumb.

“Is that even a question?” Clint asked from where he was already lounging on the couch. Thor rose from his seat and dramatically raised one arm in Clint's direction.

“I shall pop the corn for us to feast. Worry not, I have learned to use the heating box since my last endeavor.”

“I know you know it's called a microwave. I've heard you say it,” Tony called after him, grabbing a nearby tablet as he sat down on the other end of the couch. He'd barely even opened his recent project folder before someone took it out of his hands and exchanged it for a bowl of chips. “Hey!”

“Second rule. No work during movie night,” Steve said with a smile as he sat down next to Tony, grabbing a few chips from the bowl. Tony could feel the pressure of his hand on his thighs and it was ridiculous how much it affected him.

“Still a bullshit rule.” He passed the bowl to Natasha when she sat down on his other side. “I practically invented multi-tasking.”

“Need I remind you what happens if you break the movie night rules?” Clint asked sweetly and Tony shuddered.

“Fuck no. I'm never letting you pick on my turn again.”

“Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death is a fucking masterpiece and you know it.”

“Well, there was that one scene –“

“No. Just no.”

As soon as Thor and Bruce claimed the rest of the couch with a bowl of only slightly burned popcorn JARVIS started the movie and Tony let his mind drift as the familiar plot unraveled in front of him.

He'd almost fallen asleep when a warm hand touched his thigh and Steve mumbled “Excuse me”, leaning over Tony to reach the chips on Natasha's lap. Steve was so close Tony could feel his breath on his skin and Tony's stomach clenched as his throat convulsed –

He barely pushed Steve away in time before coughs started wracking his body so hard he almost gagged, holding both hands over his mouth to keep it in but it wouldn't stop –

“Shit! Tony –“

He took wheezing breaths in between his coughs, barely getting enough air to keep his vision from blurring. There were tears in his eyes, spilling over as his whole body twitched under the strain, god, it hurt so much –

He felt it this time when it happened, a foreign object that felt huge in his throat blocking his airways until he finally managed to choke it up and spit it out. It happened again and again until Tony lost count and when it eventually stopped he took a gasping breath, the sudden hit of oxygen almost making him dizzy.

“–ep breaths, there you go. Someone get him a towel!”

Tony kept breathing into his hands until he was sure he was done, letting them sink into his lap with a sigh. He startled when he saw that his palms were covered in small, pinkish petals, clinging to his hands with spit and mucus.

“Holy fuck,” Clint breathed from his perch on the couch. “You're really coughing flowers.”

Tony gave him a look. “You thought I was kidding?”

“No, it's just – weird to see it, I guess.”

“Here,” Natasha said, holding out a wet towel and a bottle of water that Tony gladly took, wiping his face and washing down the taste of flowers in his mouth.

“It's been a week since we went to see Strange,” Steve said, sitting up so straight it looked almost painful. “Has this been happening all this time?”

Tony swallowed, wincing at the raw feeling in his throat. “No. It's not usually this bad.”

Steve frowned. “I thought you knew how to fix it.”

“I'm working on it,” Tony said, ignoring Natasha's suspicious eyes on him. He really hoped she wouldn't ask him about this later. Lying to her was virtually impossible.

“If it's not getting better we could always ask Strange to check if –“

“Nope, I'm all good. No need to worry,” Tony said quickly as he got to his feet. “I'm just gonna wash out my mouth. Be right back.”

He could feel everyone watching him as he left the room, silently cursing himself for losing it like that in front of the team. It would be a miracle if he'd convinced anyone with that spiel.

Tony sighed, looking at the wet, crumpled petals in his hands with a mixture of awe and disgust. His love for Steve manifested. Under different circumstances he'd almost call them beautiful.

But it was fine. He could keep it under wraps, stay away from Steve until it went away. As long as he kept to himself it wouldn't get any worse.

Tony had practice with being alone anyway.

“You're hiding.”

Tony yelped, almost fumbling his blowtorch as he turned around. “Fucking hell. What is it with you people and the sneaking?”

“Nobody is sneaking up on you,” Pepper deadpanned, putting down a stack of documents on a nearby table. “How long have you been down here?”

Tony blinked. “How long was too long again?”

“Tony.”

“No, I'm kidding. I slept six hours last night, JARVIS, tell her!”

“Sir did sleep six hours,” JARVIS said reluctantly. “After staying awake for sixty-three hours in the days leading up to last night.”

Tony glared at the ceiling. “Traitor.”

“Okay.” Pepper clapped her hands. “You're meeting deadlines and it's freaking me out. Talk to me.”

“Can't you just be glad that I'm productive?” Pepper gave him an unimpressed look and Tony threw his hands up. “What? I'm working, is that a crime now?”

“You've been hiding in here for days. Something's up.”

Tony clucked his tongue. “Can't say there is. Well.” He smirked. “Aside from –“

“If you say your dick I will neuter you on the spot.” Tony mimed zipping his lips shut and Pepper sighed wearily. “Seriously. Did something happen?”

“Nope,” Tony said with his best 'everything-is-fine-and-nothing-hurts' face. Sadly Pepper hadn't been fooled by that one since late 2009.

“Is it about the team?” Tony averted his eyes and Pepper lowered her head, taking a deep breath. “Tony, if you just keep hiding from your problems you won't –“

The door to the workshop swished open, revealing Steve who was standing there with a covered plate and a glass of water. He blinked when he saw them, almost looking a little disappointed. “Oh. Sorry, is this a bad time? I can come back later.”

“No, this is great, Pepper was just leaving,” Tony said quickly, internally flinching when Pepper gave him a withering glare. Oh, he'd pay for that one later.

“Right,” she said curtly, turning a bright smile on Steve. “Make sure he gets some rest, would you? I need him alive and well for the press conference tomorrow.”

“You can count on me ma'am,” Steve said seriously and fuck, why was he like this, he was –

Tony cleared his throat, swallowing hard a bunch of times to push back the petals he could feel creeping into his lungs. Pepper gave him one last suspicious look before she left, her heels clicking ominously on the floor. Yeah, Tony was not looking forward to that talk later.

“So how are you? Haven't seen you in a while,” Steve asked, putting down the plate and leaning against Tony's workbench. Tony had to look away from him to fight the tickle in the back of his throat, stubbornly holding in a cough as he busied his hands with a circuit board on the nearest table.

“Yeah. Projects. Deadlines. You know how it is.” He waved a hand vaguely in Steve's direction. “So did you need anything? Cause I'm kinda...”

“Oh! No, uh, sorry. I just wanted to bring you dinner.” Steve shuffled his feet. “How's the, uh...” He gestured at his neck and Tony glanced up at him for a second.

“Oh, that? Fine. Doing better I think.”

“That's good,” Steve said and the relief in his voice almost made Tony wince. “So, uh. Do you want to come up to movie night later?”

Tony paused. Was it really Thursday already? “I probably can't make it, sorry. Next time, okay?”

“Okay.” Steve didn't sound particularly surprised but Tony didn't think he was imagining the hint of disappointment in his voice. “I'll see you around then.”

“Yeah,” Tony said and forced himself to give Steve a smile before he left, the tickle in his throat turning into a full blown itch the longer he looked at him. His muscles were dead tense, holding in his cough for just a moment longer, just a little –

Tony kept smiling until Steve was out of sight. Then he turned and bent over the closest bucket, hacking up heaps of petals until they covered its entire bottom. He slumped to the floor when he was done, his throat scratched so raw it hurt to swallow. The taste of metal clung to his tongue.

“Shall I call Dr Banner, Sir?” JARVIS asked and Tony took a deep breath before he stood, picking up the bucket to throw its contents into the garbage disposal.

“No. I can handle it.”

Tony could not handle it.

There was a persistent ache in his chest now, especially painful whenever he twisted or bent his torso. He could only sleep on his back to give his lungs enough room to expand within the veins wrapped around them, taking slow and measured breaths that hurt more and more as the days went on. The roots in his lungs looked like a tapestry on the X-ray now, weirdly beautiful if it wasn't so absolutely terrifying.

He'd thought he was used to not breathing after Afghanistan, his lung capacity already diminished by the arc reactor, but nothing could have prepared him for this.

“Do you want me to call someone, Sir?”

Tony sucked in a breath, spitting out another mouthful of petals that landed with a loud splat in the sink. There was something lodged in his chest, working its way up so agonizingly slowly that Tony started choking on it before it even got to his throat, his muscles spasming around the intrusion.

“Sir, I'm calling an ambu–“

“Belay,” Tony gasped right before he started gagging, bending over the sink but not bringing up any bile, only that _thing_ that kept ripping at his vocal cords, up his esophagus and scraping at the roof of his mouth –

Tony sagged in relief when he finally spat it out, leaning his forehead against the cool tile of his bathroom wall as he stared into the sink. He wanted to look away but something about the sight transfixed him, his mind fogging as his focus narrowed down to the fully formed apple blossom that had just come from his body. His love for Steve, right there. Proof that Tony Stark had a heart.

“Sir, I must advise you to seek medical attention. Your breathing rate is –“

“J?” Tony asked, absently tracing the shape of the flower with his fingers. “What do they mean?”

There was a short pause. “Preference,” JARVIS said slowly. “More literally, 'I prefer you above all else'.”

Tony hummed. “Do you think she knew?”

“Knew what, Sir?”

“That I love him.”

For a long moment JARVIS was silent. “She chose you precisely because she knew you love him, Sir. Dr Strange told you so.”

“He did?”

“Yes.”

Tony made a small noise of acknowledgement, still playing with the flower in his hands. “It's beautiful, isn't it?”

If JARVIS answered Tony didn't hear it, focused entirely on the smooth petals and the way they twisted and bent under his fingers, molded and shaped to his will. They were soft. Sweet. Nothing like the bitter taste of reality where he let love die on his lips every time.

His next coughing fit didn't hurt much in comparison.

Tony knew he was outside even before he opened his eyes, the soft chirp of birds coaxing him awake. There was a smell in the air that he knew intimately well although these days he mainly tasted it on his tongue.

He sat up slowly, his chest pulling tight the way it always did now, and looked around the greenery surrounding him, flowers blooming in all shapes and sizes, covering what looked like tiny hills and valleys. There had to be hundreds of them and even though he didn't recognize most of them he felt like he had seen them before, like they were something familiar.

He saw a small path trodden into the grass and only hesitated for a moment before he started to follow it, looking at the flowers as he passed them. They swayed gently from side to side even though there was no wind and when Tony bent down to smell one of them it shied away with a charming giggle. Tony smiled at it.

A soft voice was humming somewhere in the distance and Tony followed its melody up to the top of a hill until he could see down the other side. There was a woman there, her golden locks falling over her shoulder as she watered a field of flowers, bending down to stroke one of the petals with a tender smile on her face.

“I've been waiting for you,” she said quietly and when she turned to look at him Tony was struck by how beautiful she was. “Oh, look at you. You're almost perfect.”

“Almost?” Tony asked and the woman smiled at him.

“Don't worry. You'll get there soon.” She put down her watering can and walked towards him, one of her hands outstretched. Tony took it without hesitation, gasping when her fingers enveloped his. Her hand was ice cold. “I'll plant you in my favorite spot.”

Tony wanted to pull away but her grip was like iron, fingers elongating until they wrapped up his entire hand, gristly and wizened like roots. He looked up and choked on air when he saw her face, or rather her lack of one, staring into a gaping maw of rotting teeth that formed rows all the way down her throat.

Tony stumbled back and tripped over one of the hills in the ground, falling on his ass and landing in something squishy and wet. He rolled to the side but the earth moved with him, clinging to his back and revealing the roots underneath – only they weren't roots.

“Oh my god,” Tony breathed, his stomach turning at the sight of a mangled corpse, a flower with thick roots embedded in a crusty hole in its stomach. The body looked like it had been desiccated for weeks in the sun, dried up until its flesh started flaking from the bones in grotesque chunks. Tony was frozen in horror, staring at the face and its hollow eye sockets –

That rolled up to look at him.

Tony screamed, tripping over his own feet as he tried to get away, but wherever he looked the ground was littered in bodies, writhing and groaning in agony.

“Aren't they lovely?” The witch sighed in a voice that raised the hair on the back of Tony's neck. “They all loved so much. And now they belong to me.”

“No no no no,” Tony kept saying under his breath as he turned and turned, trying to find a way out, when his leg was suddenly caught in a tight grip. He kicked, bile rising in his throat when the hand holding him was ripped clean off the body beneath, still wrapped around his ankle. “Fuck, oh my god –“

The corpse moaned and Tony stared at its face as it contorted in pain, its eyes absurdly clear when they filled with tears, thin lips cracking when they twisted into a smile and it said “Melissa...”

Tony gagged, jerking backwards when a hand suddenly clutched his shoulder and turned him around. He lashed out blindly, hoping to hit the witch somewhere it hurt –

“Tony!”

Tony whimpered. He was trembling all over, struggling against the tight grip restraining both of his wrists, his eyes squeezed firmly shut so he wouldn't have to see the teeth as she swallowed him –

“Hey.”

He jumped when he was suddenly pulled against a hard chest but after a moment of struggle his brain caught up with the rest of his senses that told him he knew that body, he knew that voice –

“It's okay. You're safe.”

Tony sobbed, clinging to Steve with enough force that it probably hurt but Steve didn't complain, just let Tony cry against his chest like a baby, choking for air as he did. Halfway through he felt the familiar itch in his throat and it only made him cry harder when he started coughing and oh god, it hurt so much –

Tony bent over and vomited all over the floor, the petals splitting his lips open as he heaved. He could feel Steve patting his back but that only made it worse, his throat closing up until he was wheezing for breath through his gagging, not getting enough air –

“Tony? Tony!”

Black spots clouded his vision as the world started to spin around him, so fast it made him dizzy. He was still spitting flowers, his throat so raw that it felt like it would tear open any second, spill his guts out through his neck and leave him bleeding petals –

Tony vaguely registered it when someone picked him up, distant shouting in his ear that sounded like it came from underwater. He gagged one more time, the taste of metal heavy on his tongue, before he finally succumbed to exhaustion and his world went black.

“The vines have almost reached his heart,” Strange said, pointing at the scan. “The roots are starting to knot in his lungs. Soon he won't be able to breathe at all.”

“How long?” Pepper asked in a choked voice and Strange gave her an uncharacteristically sympathetic look.

“A week at most. I'm sorry.”

Pepper nodded, wiping her eyes as she forced a smile. “Thank you, doctor.”

“It's no problem.” He glanced at Tony. “I'm sorry I can't help more.”

 _Help yourself already, you stubborn bastard,_ remained unsaid but Tony heard it loud and clear. He glared at Strange who glared right back until Pepper reached out to shake his hand.

“We appreciate it regardless. Thank you.”

Strange gave her a nod and looked at Tony for a long time before he left, his cloak billowing behind him. His departure left an uncomfortable silence in the room that Tony was hesitant to break.

“So,” Pepper finally said and Tony winced at her tone. “Do you want to tell me why Strange banned Steve from your room because his presence would apparently 'make things worse'?”

Tony grimaced. “Pepper –“

“No.” Pepper glared at him through red-rimmed eyes. “The truth, Tony. Or I swear to god I will get Steve in here and find out for myself.” Tony averted his eyes and she deflated with a sigh, running a hand through her somehow still immaculate hair. “He's outside the door right now. Please tell me what I'm supposed to say to make him stay there.”

Tony swallowed. “Tell him I don't want to see him.” The lie felt like knives in his throat.

Pepper looked up sharply. “Did he do something to you?”

“What? No! God, no.”

“Then why?”

Tony sighed heavily. “Can't you just accept that I don't want to see him? I don't need a reason.”

Pepper's eyes narrowed. “I'd accept it if it was the truth. And you never do things without a reason.”

“That's a nice sentiment but we both know it's not –“

“Tony. The truth.”

He averted his eyes, stubbornly clamping his mouth shut. Pepper wasn't deterred.

“This whole flower thing is connected to Steve somehow, isn't it?”

Tony didn't say anything.

“It's killing you, Tony, please. If there's some way he can help –“

“He can't,” Tony choked out, clearing his throat when his voice came out more raw than he intended only to break into a coughing fit. Pepper was there in an instant, rubbing his back until he finished hacking up his lungs and a handful of petals with them. They were speckled with blood.

“Is there really no way –“ Pepper's voice was heavy with tears and Tony felt like the scum of the earth for putting her through this. She didn't deserve –

The door banged open. Tony and Pepper both startled, staring at Steve as he marched inside, his eyes dark with anger.

“You're _dying?”_ he spat, hands clenched into trembling fists. “What the hell, Tony? You told me this wasn't a big deal! I though you were getting better!”

Tony opened his mouth but he had no words to defend himself.

“Strange said –“ Steve closed his eyes for a second, his brow furrowed with pain, before he looked up at Tony in a way that felt like a punch in the gut. He'd never seen Steve look so betrayed. “He said I could help. If you let me.”

“Steve –“ Tony said and Steve made a hurt noise, marching over to Tony's bed with two long strides.

“Just tell me what to do,” Steve begged, grabbing Tony's shoulders to shake him. “Tell me what – oh my god.”

Tony clutched his stomach as flowers started _spilling_ from his lips. He was gagging too much to scream at the pain of his throat ripping open, the taste of blood only making him more nauseous as he threw up more and more petals, too many to get them all out at once. He panicked when he tried to breathe around them but couldn't, his throat clogged up, and he scratched at his neck, beating on his chest to dislodge them, please, fuck, get them out –

And then his mouth was open and someone was reaching inside, pulling out the petals and it _hurt,_ god, it hurt so bad, the leaves scraping against his ripped skin until bile followed them and he vomited all over the bed, blood and vines and flowers mixed into a disgusting mess in his lap. Some of it went up his nose and it burned like hell, sweat and tears marring his face as he spat out the last of it with a pathetic whimper and finally, _finally_ managed to draw a breath. He sobbed in agony, clutching his throat with both hands to numb the pain. It didn't help.

Someone pressed a cool towel to his face but he didn't have the strength to open his eyes and see who it was. Instead he let them wipe him down, push him back on the bed and pull the covers up to his chin. It was only after he gulped down a glass of water, grimacing the entire time, that he could look up and see Natasha's grim face right next to his, her hair a shock of color against the white hospital walls.

“You have to tell him,” she said and Tony didn't even want to know how she'd figured it out. Maybe Strange had told her. “I don't care what your reasons are. If you die here he's never going to know what he could have done, only that he could've done something. Don't do that to him.”

Tony wanted to protest but deep down he knew she was right. The cat was already out of the bag and no matter what he did, Steve would never forgive himself. Might as well tell him the truth.

He'd imagined it sometimes, in weak moments like this when he dared to hope, how he would tell Steve that he loved him. Sometimes they were in battle and Tony pulled him aside for one last desperate kiss. Sometimes they lay on the couch and Tony leaned over to whisper it in his ear. One time, when he was especially lonely, he'd thought about matching suits and the ringing of bells as they laughed and laughed and laughed –

Tony felt tears well up in his eyes and Natasha's face softened, her hands gentle as she brushed his hair back.

“Malen'kiy mekhanik,” she said softly. “I wish I could help you.”

Tony laughed weakly and she brushed a kiss onto his forehead before she stood, lingering for a moment at his bedside.

“Pepper is out there with him,” she finally said. “I don't think I can stop him from coming in here.” Tony nodded in acceptance and she nodded back, giving him one last apologetic look before she turned around and left. Not even twenty seconds passed before Steve walked into the room, closing the door softly behind him.

He couldn't seem to look at Tony at first, but then he straightened his shoulders and faced him head on, his face a mask of grim determination.

“You would've told me,” he said, his voice not quite steady enough to mask the pain underneath. “If it was something I could actually help with. But you didn't.” Tony shook his head. “Why?”

He sounded so hurt that Tony had to close his eyes for a moment and just breathe against the petals that threatened to claw their way into his throat. It took way longer than it should have to get himself back under control and by the time he opened his eyes again Steve had moved closer, sitting in the chair next to Tony's bed.

“Please tell me,” he said quietly and Tony took a deep breath that shook on the way out.

“I'm in love with you.”

He thought it would hurt to say it, make it real, but it didn't. Instead the pain crept in slowly as he watched Steve's mouth drop open in surprise only to be squeezed tightly shut, lips pressing into a thin line that looked almost painful. Tony could see the thoughts racing behind Steve's eyes as he put two and two together, his face pale and drawn.

“So this spell,” Steve finally croaked. “It's because you love me?”

Tony wanted to deny it, to take it back somehow, but Steve seemed to read the answer on his face because he sighed shakily, wiping a trembling hand across his eyes.

“And if I –“ He choked. “If I loved you back, you would... You would...”

Something in Tony died. It surprised him how much it still hurt, finally hearing it confirmed like this even though he'd already known Steve didn't love him. And yet –

“It's not your fault,” he said and Steve glared at him through teary eyes.

“How is it not my fault?” he asked desperately. “You're dying and I – fuck!” He stood up and started pacing, hands clenched tightly in his hair. _“Fuck!”_

“Steve –“

He blinked and suddenly Steve was right in his face, his breath hot against his cheek and Tony barely had a moment to think _what the fuck_ before Steve's lips were on his, pushing him into the mattress –

And Tony coughed, shoving Steve away so he could catch the petals falling from his mouth, not at all surprised when they came away sticky with blood. Steve sucked in a sharp breath at the sight, his face twisting with helpless desperation.

“Please,” he said, clutching at Tony's shoulders so hard it hurt. “Please. I love you.”

“Steve –“ Tony said calmly and Steve made a choked noise, his grip tightening even further.

“I love you!”

“Steve, it's okay.” Tony gently pushed Steve's hands off his shoulders and held them in his. “It's not your fault. I knew it wouldn't work.”

“I'm sorry,” Steve sobbed, pulling Tony into his arms. It made his lungs contract, the roots in his chest pressing painfully into his ribs, but Tony breathed through it, burying his nose in Steve's neck. “If I had known I would've –“

“No.” Tony pulled back, wiping a tear off Steve's cheek with his thumb. “There's nothing you could've done. I can't make you love me.”

“I _do_ love you,” Steve croaked and Tony smiled sadly.

“You know it's not the same.”

Steve wiped his eyes, looking at Tony with so much pain that he had to avert his eyes.

“If you don't mind...” Tony cleared his throat. “I want to be alone now, please.”

Steve's face twisted. “Tony –“

“Please, Steve.”

Steve watched him silently for a moment before he got off the bed, holding on to Tony's hand as long as he could before he turned and left, his shoulders stiff with tension.

As soon as he door clicked shut Tony let the tears fall, covering his eyes with his hand.

_You'll bloom for him. And I'll eat it._

They let him decide whether he wanted to spend his last days at the hospital with proper care or go home and be with his family. Tony didn't even hesitate before he climbed into a wheelchair and let Pepper push him outside to his car. The ride home was silent, Happy's knuckles white where he was clutching the steering wheel. Saying goodbye weighed heavily on both of them and even though Happy promised to visit tomorrow Tony secretly thought that this would probably be the last time they'd ever see each other. If he hugged Happy a little too tightly after that the other man didn't complain.

The avengers were all gathered in the common room when Pepper wheeled him in, grim-faced and silent in a way they usually never were. Tony sighed.

“Come on, people. If I wanted to be frowned at until I drop dead I would've stayed in the hospital.”

“Excuse me,” Steve said tensely, getting up and walking out of the room without looking at Tony. The rest of them exchanged vaguely guilty looks until Clint groaned and rubbed his eyes.

“Well, this sucks. Anyone up for a movie?”

“Yes, please,” Bruce said and Tony smiled as they all got a move on, fetching popcorn and drinks from the kitchen. Thor clapped him on the shoulder a little too hard, apologizing profusely when it made Tony cough, thankfully without bringing up anything other than spit. They gathered around the TV one by one and Clint put on the third Matrix movie without even batting an eye, handing Tony a diet coke.

“Don't strain yourself, hawkass,” Tony said and Clint gave him a tired grin, boxing him very lightly in the shoulder.

“Don't let it go to your head, tincan.”

Tony dreaded the moment he had to go to bed and the rest of them seemed to share the sentiment, putting on movie after movie until they were all falling asleep sitting up. Eventually Tony had to admit defeat and let Thor carry him back to his wheelchair which was something he would never live down. Except he probably would since he didn't have enough time left to really hold a grudge. At least there was some humor in it.

Thor had to carry him into bed too and Tony was silently grateful for JARVIS when he lowered the lights and adjusted the temperature without Tony having to say anything and strain his already sore throat. On any other day he would've taken it for granted.

“J?” he mumbled right as he drifted off to sleep. “You know I love you, right?”

JARVIS didn't answer for a long moment but when he did his voice was fond. “Sleep well, Sir.”

“So beautiful.”

Tony's brow furrowed as he turned his head to the side. The air around him was cold so he burrowed into the blanket, just five more minutes –

Icy fingers touched his chin and his eyes snapped open to find the witch's gnarly face staring right at him, her lips elongating into a sharp grin. Tony blinked slowly, feeling his body sink into the mattress.

“This is a dream,” Tony mumbled and her grin widened as she cackled quietly, tapping his chest with her spindly fingers.

“Yes. Go back to sleep.”

That was when Tony noticed the smell. He tried to turn his head but she held him still, flattening her hand to rest between his collarbones.

“Rest. I'll take care of you.”

Tony knew that scent. He'd smelled it before and the memory sent shivers down his spine, made his blood sing with adrenaline –

This was real.

Tony kicked out but the witch was ready for it, pinning him to the bed as vines sprouted from the mattress to keep him still. He shouted but a bundle of leaves covered his mouth in a split second, cutting off the sound.

“No no no,” she tutted, lightly scratching down his chest with her nails. “We don't want to wake the cavalry, do we?”

Tony struggled against her, trying to get enough momentum to push her off, but to no avail. There was a sudden pressure in his chest and Tony's head snapped back when his flesh gave and something sank inside –

 _Her hand,_ he thought hysterically. _She'll take it – Steve –_

Tony screamed when she started pulling, tearing him open, his mind hazy except for the pain that cut bright and sharp through the fog of panic. He could hear the wet sound of flesh ripping and it made him gag almost as much as the feeling of it did, his fingers cramping where he was clawing at the sheets –

“Tony!”

He could've cried when the witch suddenly screamed, the vines loosening around his arms and legs as she was ripped away from him. Her screeching stopped as abruptly as it had started and then there were hands on Tony's chest, warm ones this time.

“Oh god – oh fuck, _Bruce!”_

Someone else took over but Tony would know that voice anywhere and he couldn't fight it when it happened –

He almost blacked out from the pain of his coughs jarring the wound in his chest as his throat was clogged up with petals that seemed too thick to ever make it through. Tony panicked, whining around the agony as he writhed on the bed, choking on his own vomit –

“–at do you mean you can't? _Do something!”_

Someone turned him onto his side and then there was a helping hand, digging the petals out of his mouth with frantic movements. Tony's chest felt like it was on fire, both inside and out, and his vision was swimming dangerously as he struggled to breathe but couldn't –

“Please! I can't lose you, Tony, don't do this to me –“

He moaned when his lungs contracted, squeezing so tightly he thought they would explode –

_“Please!”_

And then he breathed in, and in, and _in,_ his chest expanding the way it hadn't in weeks. It burned all the way down, like razor blades against his insides, and it was better than anything he'd ever felt.

“Tony?”

“He's lost too much blood. Turn him over.”

“Like this?”

“Where's the fucking IV?”

Voices kept buzzing around him but Tony only heard the rasping of his own breath, so familiar and yet so foreign at the same time. He wanted to stay awake and enjoy it a little longer but there was a prick in his arm and he couldn't fight it –

He slept.

“Show me again?”

JARVIS pulled up the scan without comment, displaying Tony's sternum with all its nicks and scratches. The way it should be. “You are perfectly healthy, Sir.”

Tony rubbed a hand over the bandages on his chest that rested right above the arc reactor. “Right. Thanks, J.”

“What a ride, huh?” Clint said from beside the bed and Tony snorted. Understatement of the year. “You really scared us back there, tinman.”

“Gotta keep you on your toes,” he said and Clint grinned, ready to retort when the door suddenly opened and Steve stepped in, meeting Tony's eyes with an unreadable expression.

They looked at each other silently, the air between them crackling with tension so strong it almost took Tony's breath away until Clint snorted, standing up with an exaggerated groan.

“Alright, this is getting too mushy for me. Use protection.”

Tony couldn't even work up the energy to be annoyed, too focussed on Steve as Clint left the room, closing the door behind him. Steve walked over slowly, sitting down in the seat Clint had just vacated, his hands clasped in his lap.

“Hey,” he said and Tony chuckled, feeling a giddy smile spread over his face.

“Hey.”

Steve cleared his throat, cheeks reddening in ugly splotches that made Tony's heart sing. “So, I, uh. I guess you know, don't you?”

“Kinda hard to miss with the –“ Tony gestured at his chest and Steve nodded.

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat again before he finally raised his head and looked directly at Tony. “I'd like to take you to dinner. If you let me.”

Tony's cheeks were starting to hurt with how much he was grinning. “Would you now?”

“You're not cute,” Steve said but he was smiling too, reaching for Tony's hand to clasp it in both of his own. “Put me out of my misery please?”

Tony hummed as if he was thinking about it and Steve nudged him playfully. He smiled. “I'd love that.”

Steve's eyes brightened and he leaned closer, only hesitating for a second before he pressed his mouth to Tony's. It was sweet and innocent, the way it should've been the first time, and Tony sank into it with a soft sigh.

“I love you,” Steve mumbled against his lips and Tony smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Steve's neck to pull him closer.

“Yeah. I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Malen'kiy mekhanik - Little mechanic


End file.
